MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 5/20/19

Rhys Hoskins is in a tough spot tonight versus Yu Darvish, who has struggled with walks in 2019 but has a long track record of success against right-handed hitters. Who else is worth staying away from today?

Baseball is heating up, and there are plenty of DFS contests to choose from on FanDuel's main slate. While we have plenty of pieces geared towards guys you should target in your DFS contests, it's also important to avoid sub-optimal options who are overpriced and/or in tough spots.

Let's check out three players to consider fading on FanDuel's main slate for May 20.

Dwight Smith, Baltimore Orioles

vs New York Yankees
FanDuel Price: $3,200

The New York Yankees have stayed afloat in the AL East thanks to some stellar pitching in the starting rotation. Of their starters, J.A. Happ has struggled the most. This year, spanning 48 2/3 innings, Happ has recorded a paltry 18.5% strikeout rate, including an ugly batted-ball profile that has him allowing a 38.3% hard-hit rate and 41.9% fly-ball rate.

When you factor in that this game is in Camden Yards, which clocks in seventh in park factor over the last three years, the Baltimore Orioles should see some decent ownership numbers today. But Dwight Smith isn't a guy to roll with today.

Happ has continued to pitch well against same-sided batters. Since the start of last year, he has limited lefties to only a .238 wOBA, including a 27.7% fly-ball rate.

Smith is priced modestly, has some pop (eight home runs on the year) and will be hitting in a great park, but despite all those positives, Smith has just a .279 career wOBA in lefty-lefty machups. We should opt for Baltimore's right-handed bats tonight.

Dan Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners (1B)

at Texas Rangers
FanDuel Price: $3,700

With a 1.021 OPS and a whopping 13 home runs to his name, Dan Vogelbach of the Seattle Mariners has been one of baseball's pleasant surprises to kick off the year.

This matchup in Texas features some massive implied team totals, including a clip of 5.06 for the Mariners. Does that make Vogelbach a good player to roster?

It doesn't seem like it.

Mike Minor opposes the Mariners, and he's been outstanding with a 3.59 FIP over 58 2/3 innings. A year ago, lefties managed only a .334 wOBA off of Minor while striking out at a 23.5% strikeout rate.

Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies (1B)

at Chicago Cubs
FanDuel Price: $4,200

If you own Yu Darvish in season-long fantasy leagues, it's been a wild ride in 2019. Over 42 innings to start the season, Darvish has given out free passes at an alarming rate with an eye-popping 17.2% walk rate, and he's completed six innings in a game just once this campaign. With Darvish sporting a 5.14 ERA, the Philadelphia Phillies are likely to at least be on the stacking radar for some people tonight.

Darvish may be starting to figure some things out, though, and he's turned up the strikeout juice significantly over recent starts. The right-hander owns a silly 33.3% strikeout rate over his last six starts, and when hitters are making contact, they've been limited to a 22.7% hard-hit rate.

Historically, Darvish has always been tough on same-sided bats. For his career, righties have logged only a .277 wOBA in this split, paired with a 31.1% strikeout rate and 28.6% hard-hit rate.

Rhys Hoskins has balled out this season, but in a tough matchup and currently without an extra-base hit in his last 11 games, Hoskins makes for a strong fade despite Darvish's walk-happy ways.



Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.